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Kpone drivers, police clash …over bad road,3 drivers injured
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Three drivers got injured when the police fired rubber bullet gunshots at them, to disperse a crowd, during a scuffle with the law enforcement personnel at Kpone, in the Eastern Region.
This followed a sit-down strike by members of the Kpone branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The action of the drivers, numbering about 100, resulted in hundreds of passengers, who travel from the Kpone township to Tema, Manhean, Kpone Barrier, Shanghai among others, stranded.
However, other drivers forced passengers to alight from vehicles of colleagues, who flouted the directive of the Kpone branch of the GPRTU.
In an interview with the Ghanaian Times, the trustee to the Interim Management Committee of the Kpone Drivers Union, Seth Nyarko, said the strike was to protest against the bad nature of roads in the area.
He said the roads from Tema Community 1 through to the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) road, Aluworks, Fuel Trade, Chase Petroleum to Kpone were in a terrible state.
He said drivers or vehicle owners spent a substantial amount of money to maintain their vehicles, and efforts to get the city authorities to fix the roads proved futile.
Mr Nyarko explained that the action was not a demonstration and was confined to the Kpone lorry station, and with placards which read, ‘Fix our roads’.
He said while the drivers were positioning the placards at vantage points, other people who were not members of the union joined the action.
Mr Nyarko said this led to a misunderstanding between the drivers and the police, and the security personnel fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, and in the process three persons sustained injuries.
He said all three persons had been treated and discharged.
Mr Nyarko said a meeting had been scheduled between the drivers and the Kpone Municipal Assembly to be facilitated by the Kpone District Police Command to find an amicable solution to the problem.
However, calm had been restored and the vehicles are back on road.
The Crime Officer for the Kpone District Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Herbert Sosu, condemned the strike by the drivers, describing it as illegal because the police were was not notified, and it infringed on the rights of other road users.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH, KPONE
Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has questioned why Ghana continues to import toothpicks despite having the resources to produce them locally.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr. Iddrisu, who previously served as Minister for Trade and Industry, said he feels ashamed that the country still depends on imports for such a basic product.
“I have been Minister for Trade and Industry before and I carry the shame. How come that in Ghana we cannot produce toothpicks and we have to import them?” he asked.
According to him, Ghana has enough resources to support local businesses to manufacture products such as toothpicks instead of relying on imports. He said the country should encourage private sector investment in manufacturing to create jobs and reduce dependence on foreign goods.
Mr. Iddrisu alleged that some people who received government support under private sector initiatives failed to use the funds for their intended purpose.
“If you want, Honorable Kojo, because you… I can’t go there. There are people who took money in the name of the private sector and said they were going to farm. That money never went to their farms. You know that,” he told Parliament.
On job creation, the Education Minister said he agreed with the views expressed by a colleague on the need to create more employment opportunities. However, he argued that the One District, One Factory (1D1F) programme did not provide the solution to Ghana’s employment challenges.
Mr. Iddrisu made the remarks during parliamentary proceedings while contributing to discussions on job creation and the country’s industrial development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications officer, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has dismissed reports linking him to an alleged GH¢55 million case, insisting that no such issue was raised during his detention by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
In a Facebook post after his release from EOCO custody, Mr Aboagye stated that at no point during his detention was he questioned about any GH¢55 million.
“For the records: There was no discussion of any GH¢55 million with me by EOCO. None,” he wrote.
According to him, he was detained for four days, a day after announcing his intention to contest for the position of National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party.
Mr Aboagye alleged that false narratives were circulated about his arrest but expressed confidence that the truth would eventually prevail.
He thanked NPP supporters who demonstrated and called for his release, saying news of the protests reached him while he was in detention and encouraged him.
Mr Aboagye indicated that the support shown by party faithful strengthened his resolve and reaffirmed his commitment to serve the NPP.
He maintained that his detention had not discouraged him from pursuing his political ambition.
“If the intention was to break me, it has failed. If the intention was to scare me, it has failed spectacularly,” he stated.
Mr Aboagye expressed appreciation to his legal team, the leadership of the NPP and all supporters who stood by him throughout his detention.
He reiterated his determination to lead the party’s Communications Directorate, declaring that he remained “ready to win” and committed to what he described as the party’s mission to “command the narrative.”
By: Jacob Aggrey
